A Simple Guide to Sweepstakes Success

Contests and sweepstakes have been around for a long time and used with great success, but the addition of social media has given contests and sweepstakes an unprecedented power to exponentially expand the reach of a brand.

Are you thinking about running a sweepstakes or contest?  A well planned sweepstakes or contest can earn you exposure that  simply cannot be bought.  On the other hand, a poorly planned sweepstakes or contest can be disastrous.  What can a sweepstakes or contest can do for your brand?

1. Build your fan base.  It does not matter if your goal is to build Facebook Likes or newsletter subscribers, a contest or sweepstakes is the simplest way to build your fan base
2. Engage your audience.   Spectators and entrants will continually interact with your brand to stay informed.  Reward continued involvement with affirmative replies or posts.
3. Collect Data.  Spectators and entrants will share personal information throughout the contest.   Encourage feedback and listen to what is shared.  You may gain new customer insights or develop a new target market.
4. Create Brand Advocates.  Spectators and entrants will promote a good contest or sweepstakes across multiple channels via social media.   If voting is a part of your contest, entrants will urge their social graphs to participate.  Anyone that shares their personal content or other user-generated content (UGC) will be invested in your brand.

Wow!  All of that sounds great right? Those are all goals that businesses engaged in social media want to achieve.  The hard part is planning and executing a successful sweepstakes or contest.   Here is what you need to know:

1. What is your goal?  Are you looking to build your Facebook Likes, drive traffic to your website, generate sales leads or target a new audience?  Coordinate your contest or sweepstakes with your marketing campaign to maximize ROI.
2. What kind of promotion?  Most people use sweepstakes and contests interchangeably, but they are actually very different types of promotions.  Generally, a sweepstakes refers to a promotion in which prizes are awarded based on chance, whereas a contest awards prizes based on skill.
3. Execution? Concept and design are important, but the success of a promotion is based on its execution!   Make participating in the promotion as easy as possible.  Simple sweepstakes are the most common promotion because they are the easiest to manage and they are effective.   Contests involving user generated content (UGC) have a better possibility of going viral, but are much more difficult to manage and have greater pitfalls.
4. What are the Rules?  There two sets of rules that need to be acknowledged:
   • State Laws.  State laws must be obeyed or you may be in violation of criminal law. Promotional Laws vary from state to state.  In general, you cannot require a purchase or payment in order to enter a sweepstakes. The rules for skills contests are a bit more flexible, but states define skills differently.
   • Most states require companies to make certain disclosures about their promotions.   This is an area that you want to enlist the assistance of a professional as some states may also have additional requirements.
   • Platform Rules.  Facebook, Google+, and Twitter may be free but if you want to run your promotion on their platform, your need to follow their rules.  Here are links to the Facebook Promotions Guidelines,  Google+ Pages Contest and Promotion Policies, an Twitter Contest Guidelines
5. What are the risks?   Most failed promotions have failed because companies failed to recognize the risks of social media.  Before launching a promotion, think about potential setbacks and have an action plan in place to handle PR emergencies.  Here are some potential promotion stoppers:
   • Public Voting Cheats,
   • Slander or Libel of  individuals or competitors,
   • Unauthorized use of copyrighted or rights protected content.

Although you want to make entering the promotion as easy as possible, you simply cannot afford users to have complete control.   Ignoring these dangers can destroy your promotion or land you in litigation!

Contests can be extremely effective tool in your social media strategy.  Just be sure to do your research on local and state laws, and platform regulations, in order to avoid kind of attention that you do not want!

Google merges your Google+ Social Graph in Searches

Today Google merged its search engine and your Google+ social graph in searches.  This update is called “Search plus Your World”.  Search engine results pages will now display search results from your social circles as well the internet when performing a search while signed into Google+.

This is a significant step forward in blurring the distinction between your personal social circles and the rest of the web.  Google+ results will be included with traditional search results, but will be clearly labeled as Google+ results.  This will clearly give Google+ a boost as no other social networks are currently included in the update.  Sorry Facebook and Twitter!

While this update is a great step forward in search, it is another step in Google’s efforts to exercise more control over its main asset- Search Data.   Google compiles search data when a search is performed while signed into a Google service (Google Analytics, Google+1, Gmail), but no longer reports the query terms.   This hampers the efforts of SEO professionals as explained the October 2011 blog post Google turns its Back on SEO.

Google+ profiles will also now be a part of the search query box.  Google will try to finish your search queries with the most likely match in your circles as long as you’re signed into Google+.   The inclusion of search results from your circle can be toggled off for a more traditional search.

Maximize your Marketing in 2012

Happy New Year!  The holiday celebrations are done, now let’s get down to business.  In case you have not noticed, the way in which companies market, find new customers, and complete sales, have drastically changed in 2011.  Digital marketing is showing its full potential.   The digital marketing has become a hyper-competitive environment!

Why is your digital marketing plan so important?  Ninety-two percent of prospects almost never book a meeting from a cold call or email, according to a study by UNC’s Kenan-Flagler School of Business.  Social media and digital marketing have basically re-invented how businesses prospect for new customers. The prospecting has become self-sufficient as marketing and sales efforts converge.

Here are the Top 5 ways to maximize your digital marketing efforts in 2012:

• Customer Engagement: Customer engagement is your top priority!
  • Establish relationships by providing value First! Promote and sell later.
  • Keep your content FRESH and in CONTEXT for your business.  Publish white papers, podcasts, videos, product updates, and other business related content through your website and social media channels to encourage your customer to visit your website.
  • All businesses should have a social media address because social pages rank well in search results.
  • Establish social media addresses for all sales reps.  Social media addresses are as important to sales reps as e-mail or a phone!
• Be the Authority:  Become the trusted authority in your business market!  Put your business on top of the Search Engine Results Page (SERP)!
  • Customer engagement through your social media efforts will also boost your authority!
  • Determine the key words (and alternate keywords) for your target market.  Direct your marketing and social media efforts in that direction.  Put your key words on your web site, in your social media efforts, and focus your pay per click (PPC) campaigns around them.
• Make Purchasing Easy:  It is easy for prospective customers to go and shop your competitors.  Make the sales process as easy as possible so that you can convert clicks into sales.  Are you making your customers establish an account to buy from you?  Your competitor just made a sale in half the time it took your customer to register for your site!
• Embrace Mobile: You can no longer afford to ignore mobile web usage.  Forrester Research predicts mobile commerce will grow at a compound annual growth rate of 39% through 2016, and Infinite Research forecasts that tablet adoption will grow at a compound annual growth rate of 56% per year through 2015.
  • Develop specialized mobile web pages
  • Be sure to include contact information (directions,  maps, clickable phone numbers and email addresses),  hours of operation, menus, product info, promotions, specials, and anything else your customers need to know.
• Use Data/Intelligence:   Use analytic data and sales performance to adapt your marketing plan.
  • Optimizing your marketing efforts is an ongoing process, not a quick fix.
  • Establish an analytics account or enlist the help of an SEO professional.

Those companies that adapt and combine their marketing, social media, and sales process into a cohesive effort are poised to reap the benefits of this developing environment.   Companies like Home Depot, Farmers Insurance, Best Buy, and Ford are doing it right.  How are you going to maximize your marketing in 2012?

Sources:

Insideview.com

Forrester Research

Infinite Research

Be prepared for 2012 SEO Trends

SEO isn’t dead in 2012! Despite what some experts proclaim, SEO will not disappear.  It may take on a trendy new name, but just like social media, paid search, or pay per click, it will retain its role as another essential tool in Search engine marketing (SEM).  2012 will be the year where old way of thinking gives way to new ideas and technology.   CEO’s will realize that ROI is not the only measure of social media, and that the overall user experience is more important than content stuffing.

The continuing popularity of smart phones will have large influence on the future of SEO and search.   Smart phone users expect better context and relevance in search inquiries.  The mainstream acceptance and use of voice recognition software has also sparked a fundamental change in how we search (thank you Siri).

No one can predict the future of search any better than they can predict a Super Bowl winner, but if Google’s Panda update is the basis for what search will become then search will evolve into a dynamic or real time search.    Here are five SEO trends that I predict will influence search in 2012:

• Mobile Search.  Currently 20% of all internet searches originate in smart phones.  That share of search will only continue to grow.   More brands will embrace micro sites, and content,  targeted towards mobile users
• Content. Content is still King! The value of good content will continue to grow in importance.  The relevance, freshness, and the context in which the content is presented have become equally important.
• Personalized Searches.   Search results are becoming more personalized based on the user’s intent.   Past searches, subscriptions, user groups, and location are all leveraged to display the user’s intended search results.
• Social Media.  The benefits of social media as an influencer have been acknowledged.  Social media is accepted as an essential component of a successful SEM plan.
• Diminished Importance of Back Links- The practice of buying links, known as link stuffing, should come to an end.  Overall the importance of the number of links will be diminished although quality links from trusted sources will still be valued.

SEO and search trends should continue along the path to real time search.   Google algorithm updates should only further refine this track.    Focus on the basics in 2012: Content, Quality, and don’t’ forget about your mobile users!

Avoid Simple Twitter Faux Pas

Twitter is a great tool to engage new customers and spread your brand message.  Like most social media tools it is free, but it takes consistency and effort to be successful.  Unfortunately, a few mistakes can undermine all of your efforts and your Twitter presence.  Here are five major Twitter faux pas to avoid!

•    No Profile Image. Success in twitter depends on sharing your knowledge, stories, and personality.  Users associate your tweets with your image.  Having a photo (or at least a company logo) will give your tweets credibility.   Users regard bios with the generic placeholder with suspicion.
•    Bio Typos. Acronyms and misspellings are considered acceptable when maximizing your 140 available characters, but typos in your profile is sloppy and unprofessional.  There really is no excuse for not spell checking all of your bio (or anything else that you write).   Have a few questions about your bio? Ask a friend or co-worker to review it.
•    Spamming. Twitter is all about sharing, but if you share everything your message will drown in the tweet barrage.  Plan and strategize your tweets to get your message out!
•    Automated Direct Message (DM).  Direct Messages allow users to send private (non-public) messages directly to each other. Some users use this function to send (obviously) automated DMs to all new followers.  A good idea, but it would be more effective to send a personal DM to those followers that are in your niche and you want to build a relationship with.
•    Not Contributing to the Community. Successful engagement on Twitter depends on interaction and sharing.  If your only message is “Look at my new widget, Buy my stuff!” then you are wasting your time.  Spam this message and you will quickly lose any users you have duped into following you!

Do you want to be successful on Twitter?   Start by humanizing your profile, share your message, and interact with your followers.  Don’t let simple mistakes jeopardize your Twitter presence!

The Six Best Social Media Services to Promote your Brand!

Social Media is the “it” thing to do right now.  Unlike past “it” fads that have gone awry (hello .com startup craze!), it appears that social media will stay with us.  Measuring the return on investment and effectiveness of social media is still evolving, but the results are positive.  Social media services have changed how we interact and share information with each other.  It allows small and medium sized businesses the opportunity to promote themselves and reach new customers that they have never had the opportunity to engage.

The best thing about social media services is that they are free!  The worst thing about social media services is that they are free!  Yes creating social profiles is free but those free social profiles are often neglected because they are free.  Consistency and Engagement are the keys to social success!

Note sure where to start?  Here are the best six social media services to promote your brand:

1. Facebook is the king of social media services!  Yes, all your friends, their parents, and you have Facebook profiles.  That is exactly why your business needs to be here also.  Facebook has the most users and it is simple to set up a basic page.  What’s not to like?
2. Twitter allows you to share yourself in 140 character bites.   It is best for quicker communication and exposing your business to new customers with similar interests.
3. LinkedIn is the biggest professional business networking site.  Although it does offer company pages it best serves individual professionals, contractors, and free lancers networking with other professionals.  LinkedIn groups are simply the best way to meet other professionals, share ideas, and learn about new industry developments!
4. Google+ will challenge Facebook for social supremacy!  Google+ is relatively new to the social arena.  While Google’s past social efforts have failed, Google+ has been getting stronger as new features are released.
5. WordPress has expanded the definition of what a blog can do!  Everyone has a story,  and sharing those stories is a great way to attract new customers.  Wordpress’ expanded services blur the line between a blog and web site!
6. YouTube represents the best opportunity for meteoric promotion.   It seems everyone enjoys watching videos on the internet.  All it takes is one viral video to expose your brand to millions of new customers!
7. MySpace is still around and deserves an honorable mention!  Once the exclusive domain of teenagers, allowing users to easily customize their pages into some of the eyesight assaulting displays imaginable,  Myspace trying to reorganize and reclaim its relevance in the social media revolution.
8. Stumbleupon is a social service that allows users to stumple upon (discover) new websites based on the users’ interests.  Stumbleupon has just expanded its service to include brand pages (called channels). This should develop into a good service to introduce your brand to new stumblers!

Change is the only constant in the world of social media.  Today’s best social media services may be soon replaced by something new.   So here’s the best Social media services offered… until next years list!

Why you need a professional SEO company?

Any company maintaining a website wants to leverage that investment by directing as many customers as possible to the website. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) enables customers to find your website before they find your competitor’s.   SEO is important in managing a successful website, but overall is only one very small part of managing your company.  SEO is one task that is best given to a professional so that you can concentrate on your business.

Here are five reasons you need a professional SEO company:

1. Expense.  Hiring a full time SEO professional is expensive an unnecessary for most businesses.  The other alternative, hiring an intern, might prove to be even more costly to a company’s reputation. Professional SEO firms can analyze your needs and propose a plan based on a monthly budget that is affordable.
2. Up-to-date knowledge. The only constant in SEO is that it is constantly changing!  What worked yesterday most will not work today! Professional SEO firms understand Search Engine Algorithms, can explain the “computer-marketing techie mad men babble”, and implement measurable SEO improvements.
3. Experience.  Understanding SEO is time consuming, never ending, learning process.  It is always changing.  With experience come wisdom and the knowledge of which processes and techniques will be most effective in achieving your goal.
4. Quality of Work.  The knowledge, experience, and expertise of the SEO firm will directly improve the quality of the website and have a positive influence on the entire marketing effort of the organization.   
5. Complementary Services. Professional SEO firms usually offer SEO as part of a comprehensive Search Engine Marketing (SEM) plan including social media, link building, keyword, and pay per click (PPC) strategies.

SEO is one part of your overall marketing strategy, but when complementing  your other marketing efforts it can be very effective in boosting web site traffic  and ultimately sales.  Take advantage of the free SEO evaluations offered by most SEO professionals to see how SEO optimization can transform your website.

Do you have questions? We can help! We are your Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Experts!   Let us develop a comprehensive Search Engine Marketing strategy to maximize your online investment.  Get a free no obligation Search Engine Optimization Quote today!

How to avoid Anti-Social Media

There are many ways to pursue an effective social media campaign.  A good social media marketing plan can expand a brand’s influence, bring in new customers, and boost the bottom line.  But one miss-step can replace all of that goodwill with the wrath and anger of a betrayed spouse.

Big organizations make social media blunders. In 2011 NPR radio issued erroneous reports that U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords had died after being shot.  In 2010 Nestle was accused of hastening the destruction of the rain forests through its use of palm oil.  Nestle used social media to aggressively rebuke the claims, which spurned contempt and rage in customers and environmental groups alike. Users retaliated by attacking Nestle’s Facebook page.  This inspired numerous videos and animations further attacking Nestle.

Most organizations will never inspire such rage, but many will inadvertently hurt their social media efforts. Here are the top 10 common social media blunders organizations routinely commit:

1. Strategy. Most organizations rush to open social media accounts without any plan.  What are your organization’s goals? What social platforms will enable you to achieve your goals? How will you use those social platforms?
2. Commitment. Engaging in a social media campaign is a long term commitment.  You may be fortunate to produce a product/promotion that generates a viral buzz, but that interest will quickly disappear unless you capitalize on it.
3. Consistency.  By far the biggest social media error is inconsistency. The social community expects constant updates and interaction.  Set a schedule and stick to it!
4. Content.Produce original content.   Always keep your target audience in mind. Publish content that will engage and interest your target audience.
5. Focus.  It is better to be great at one thing, then mediocre at a couple of things.  Stay true to your business message.  Achieve your goals!
6. Call to action.  You are trying to get your reader to do something… make sure it easy to understand.  Tell them what you want them to do!
7. Community.  Social marketing is a two-way street in sharing.  The quickest way to alienate your community is a continuous self-serving marketing/sales pitch.  Inspire conversation and do not overreact to the negative comments!
8. Time. Do not spend too much time on social media!  Social media should be a part of your overall marketing efforts. Give your community time to breath!
9. Responsibility. Be responsible for your content.  No excuses!  This is a good time to mention that it may not be a good decision to let your intern interact with your users with no guidance.
10. Disaster plan.  Have a disaster response plan in place for emergencies or errant comments from your social media intern.  This is an opportunity for your brand to gain admiration and respect, or drown in criticism and bad press. It all depends on how you respond.

With an increasing number of organizations using social media to interact with users, it’s important to get it right. The social landscape is getting more competitive every day. The lesson here is that social media, like most business tools, can boost business if properly managed, or it can cause a lot of damage if botched.

Maximize your Bing Site Ranking

Although Google always gets the most attention, Bing is growing and becoming a stronger search alternative.  Neither Google, nor Bing, publicize their respective proprietary algorithms which leaves SEO professionals to speculate how the algorithms differ in relevance of search results.

Here are some suggestions that will boost your Bing SERP results:

• Be a Trusted Source.  Bing credits subject matter authorities with enabling users to find their intended search goal with fewer clicks.  It offers these sites excellent exposure in relation to other sites on popular searches

• Links. Bing rates links based on quality.  It prefers organic links created by users linking to your content. Bing views this as a signal of confidence in the content.   The value of reciprocal links, purchased links, and link farms are greatly discounted.

• Onpage Factors.  Although onpage factors are no longer the defining factor in SEO, they are still important and should still be the basis of a well-crafted web site:
  • Title tag
  • Anchor Tags to content within the site.
  • Meta Descriptions
  • One <H1> tag per page
  • Image Alt Text

• Site Structure
  • All title tags, <H1> tags, and anchor tags should contain targeted keywords
  • Certify the keyword targeted by your page appears within the actual content of the page
  • Create a clean, keyword rich URL, with no extraneous parameters where possible
  • Create both HTML & XML sitemaps for humans and search crawlers respectively
  • Research keywords to ensure content matches what users are searching for
  • Build engaging content
  • Set a content update schedule
  • Organize content in a logical hierarchy
  • Maintain anchor links to content inside the site
  • Offer social sharing options for your visitors

• Social Media
  • Create a social media presence to build community
  • Promote content  to enhance discoverability

While this blog is directed to achieving better Bing SERP listings, these are all solid design and SEO practices to follow.   Like Google, Bing places a high importance on creating good solid content to drive traffic to your website.   The Bing webmaster tools web site is a great source to consult for further information.

More searchers are using Bing every day. It is important to acknowledge this trend and prepare your SEO/SEM plans accordingly.   As this trend continues Bing will become another tool that deserves our full attention.

How to write Great Content!

Wikipedia describes content as the “information and experiences that may provide value for an end-user/audience in specific contexts”.    This information and experience influence how users judge the credibility, authority, and the products/services on your web site.  It does not matter if you are an E-tailer or write a blog about your pets, your content is an integral component in your digital presence.

What exactly is good content? What is great content?  Is it based on a formula or a simple passion for writing?  The truth is that it is somewhere in between. Here are five considerations in finding your voice:

• Make sure your writing is as good as you think!  Ask for a second opinion on your work from someone who will give you an objective opinion.  Wives, girlfriends, and your mom are not going to give the advice needed here.   Remember that writing is a skill if you do not get the reaction you were looking for.   You can improve your writing skills with practice.
• Find your voice! What is your writing style?  Are you authoritative or humorous?   There really is no incorrect answer, but your goal is to be informative and entertaining.
• Create content that begs to be shared!  Whatever you do make sure that you are always adding to the conversation and not echoing someone else’s thoughts.  Write something that your readers want to share. Make a statement with your writing: Good or Bad!
• Create a Call to Action! The call to action is a response you want to elicit from your readers. What do you want to achieve? Do you want readers to visit your website or purchase your product?  Write your commentary with this goal in mind.  It is best to not always push a call to purchase or you will alienate your readers.
• Creating content is hard work!  Sometimes you are inspired to write and the words flow from your fingers, other times it will be excruciating difficult to write (today is one of those days for me).  You will need to be dedicated and work hard to deliver consistent quality commentaries.

Creating great content for you website has been important, but with Google’s Freshness update it is now absolutely vital.   Not only is your content important in your search rankings and maintaining a fresh site, but it will increase your digital presence and influence.